In 2025, sustainability isn’t just a checkbox, it’s a margin driver. Contract caterers who can prove their impact are winning more tenders, reducing costs, and standing out with clients who now expect data, not just promises.
Why? Because clients are demanding numbers. Regulators are raising the bar. And the difference between winning and losing a contract could come down to whether you can prove your food’s carbon footprint, not just talk about it.
1. Sustainable Catering = Measurable Impact
Today, ticking a sustainability box isn't enough. Tender evaluators want to see quantifiable sustainability performance—especially when it comes to Scope 3 emissions, which often account for over 90% of a food business’s climate impact.
That means contract caterers need to go beyond intuition. You need to measure, report, and improve the emissions tied to every ingredient, menu, and supplier.
A robust food carbon footprint strategy includes:
• Conducting Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) for dishes.
• Using an emissions calculator to estimate real-time impact.
• Labeling meals with carbon emission labels so clients (and eaters) see your efforts in action.
Caterers using LCAs and emissions calculators are not only meeting client demands. They’re optimizing menus, improving supplier choices, and cutting waste. The result? Higher efficiency and healthier margins.
2. It's All About Scope 3—and Yes, It’s a Beast
If you're wondering what’s suddenly changed in 2025, here's the answer: regulation.
The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) is now in full effect across the EU, and it requires thousands of large companies to publish a CSRD report with their full carbon footprint. That includes Scope 3 emissions, aka: yours.
If you can’t provide transparent, CSRD-aligned sustainability data, your catering business is at risk of falling behind.
This is where tools like carbon accounting software and food sustainability platforms become essential. With Klimato, for example, caterers can automatically track dish-level emissions, benchmark by site, and generate sustainability reporting that aligns with CSRD requirements—all with client-ready visuals.
3. Labels That Win You Business
Yes, branding matters—but in sustainable catering, carbon labels are more than marketing. They're trust signals.
When your menu shows a carbon footprint label next to each dish, you’re not just educating customers; you’re showing potential clients that sustainability is built into your service model. And research backs this up: climate labels help people choose lower-emission options and help caterers steer menus toward profitability.
Think of carbon labeling as your new competitive edge.
4. From Values to Value: Where Profit Meets Purpose
Here’s a common myth: “Sustainability costs too much.”
Not in 2025. Done right, it drives margins. When caterers use a carbon footprint calculator to identify high-impact dishes, it often leads to operational efficiencies; like optimizing sourcing, reducing food waste, and shifting toward climate-smart ingredients that cost less but deliver more.
More and more clients are asking: Can you help us hit our targets without hitting our bottom line? Sustainable caterers who answer “yes” while switching to lower-impact ingredients that are 10–30% cheaper, win more contracts. Simple as that.
And if you need a real-world example, check out how leading caterers are using Klimato’s food and carbon footprint tracking to win tenders and boost profit margins.
5. What It Takes to Deliver Sustainable Catering in 2025
Let’s break it down. Here’s what modern sustainable catering requires:
• Life cycle and Scope 3 assessment to meet tender requirements and regulatory demands.
• Footprint calculator to estimate dish-level emissions to optimise recipes and identify cost-saving swaps.
• Carbon label or carbon emission label per dish to boost brand trust and customer engagement.
• Sustainability reporting aligned with CSRD to stay compliant and client-ready.
• Carbon accounting software with real-time dashboards to track impact and drive continuous improvement.
• Operational insights to cut costs and reduce waste.
• Client-facing tools that help you win tenders and scale faster.
Sound like a lot? It is, unless you’ve got the right tools in place.
TL;DR: Sustainable Catering Is a Dealbreaker in 2025
The market is shifting. Regulators are tightening. And clients want partners who can help them meet their climate goals.
In 2025, sustainable catering is no longer a cost centre, it’s a growth engine. Want to see how top caterers are cutting emissions and increasing profitability? Book a demo and we’ll show you how.
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